But Bruntsea distinctly and trenchantly kept the old town's division into east and west.
East Bruntsea was wholly in the Major's manor, which had a special charter; and most of the houses belonged to him.

This ownership hitherto had meant only that the landlord should do all the tumble-down repairs (when the agent reported that they must be done), but never must enter the door for his rent.

The borough had been disfranchised, though the snuggest of the snug for generations; and the freemen, thus being robbed of their rights, had no power to discharge their duties.

And to complicate matters yet further, for the few who wished to simplify them, the custom of "borough-English" prevailed, and governed the descent of dilapidations, making nice niceties for clever men of law.
"You see a fine property here, Miss Wood," Major Hockin said to me, as we sat, on the day after I was allowed to come, enjoying the fresh breeze from the sea and the newness of the February air, and looking abroad very generally: "a very fine property, but neglected--shamefully, horribly, atrociously neglected--but capable of noble things, of grand things, of magnificent, with a trifle of judicious outlay." "Oh, please not to talk of outlay, my dear," said good Mrs.Hockin, gently; "it is such an odious word; and where in the world is it to come from ?" "Leave that to me.

When I was a boy my favorite copy in my copy-book was, 'Where there's a will there's a way.' Miss Wood, what is your opinion?
But wait, you must have time to understand the subject.